Abstracts
from Volume 33, Number 2
(June, 2006)

Americans’ Attitudes Toward Euthanasia
and Physician-Assisted Suicide, 1936–2002Jen Allen, Sonia Chavez, Sara DeSimone, Debbie
Howard, Keadron Johnson, Lucinda LaPierre,
Darrel Montero and Jerry SandersPublic opinion polls conducted from 1936 to 2002 found
that Americans support both euthanasia and physician-assisted
suicide. Although public opinion regarding end-of-life
decisions appears to have been influenced by the events
of the times, Americans have consistently favored the freedom
to end one’s life when the perceived quality of life has
significantly diminished, either by one’s own hand or with
the assistance of a physician. This paper indicates that existing
policy regarding euthanasia and physician-assisted
suicide conflicts with the American public’s attitudes regarding
the matter, as well as examines implications for
social workers who serve clients facing end-of-life decisions.

Professional Hope in Working with Older AdultsTerry Koenig and Richard Spano Writings about hope within gerontological literature
assume social workers already possess hope that they
can use in their practice. The purpose of this article
is to challenge this assumption and to examine ways
in which social workers can sustain hope in personal
life, in their agencies, and in the reform of larger social
structures that impact older adults. The authors examine
culture change in nursing homes as an emerging
approach that can be more fully developed by applying
the strengths perspective to interpersonal work with
elders, agency change and broader structural change.

Program Development During Fiscal Crisis:
A Community/University ResponseDianne Rush Woods, Phu Tai Phan and Terry Jones
This article discusses the often difficult and challenging
process of setting up a new academic department, especially
during a time of budget crisis. Furthermore it examines
the role and purpose of the university, the place of so-called
applied programs within the university, curriculum development
of a new program, racial and cultural diversity at
the university, and the overall relevance of the university
as a vehicle for addressing community needs. The paper
concludes with a discussion on how a Social Work faculty
was able to use the university’s mission to persuade
its leadership into setting up a Social Work Department.

The Politics of Indigenization: A Case Study of Development
of Social Work in ChinaMiu Chung Yan and Kwok Wah CheungInternationalization and indigenization are dialectical
processes of knowledge transfer. However, social
work literature has paid scant attention to the process
of indigenization, which can best be understood as one
of recontextualization. This paper introduces Basil
Bernstein’s theory, which contends that recontextualization
is a political process, as an analytical tool for
us to understand the politics of indigenization. To demonstrate
the usefulness of this tool, this paper analyzes
how, in China, the Ministry of Civil Affairs and social
work academics interactively compete for this control.

Reshaping Retirement Policies in Post-Industrial Nations:
The Need for FlexibilityAngela L. Curl and M. C. “Terry” Hokenstad, Jr.Social Security programs in post-industrial nations are
facing the need for policy reforms. Fiscal shortfalls in current
Social Security programs are a major driving force
promoting these reforms. At the same time, changes in
longevity and the nature of work and retirement also suggest
the need for policy reform. This article begins with
a broad overview of some of the policy innovations of
the Europe Union as a whole, and then focuses more indepth
on policy reforms in three countries that exemplify
Esping-Andersen’s (1990) typology of welfare states:
Sweden, Germany, and Canada. These three countries
have passed policies that promote fl exibility in retirement
for older adults, including “gradual retirement”, “partial
retirement”, and credit for caregiving activities. Keeping
older adults in the labor force longer retains the tax base of
contributors into Social Security as well as allowing those
who want to stay in the labor force more choice. The reforms
are discussed, along with their potential usefulness for
future Social Security policy reforms in the United States.

Social Welfare before the Elizabethan Poor Laws:
The Early Christian Tradition, AD 33 to 313Vincent Faherty
Current social welfare history texts in the United States
tend to cover quickly the time periods before the passage of
the Elizabethan Poor Laws in 1601. This is an unfortunate
informational gap since what is labeled social welfare today
has been organized and delivered for centuries before 1601
through the rich religious traditions of Buddhism, Christianity,
Hinduism, Judaism, Islam and thousands of other
traditional religions throughout the world. This article
provides a broad historical overview of the organization,
the roles, and the services provided by the social welfare
system in Christian communities, during their first three
centuries, throughout what is now considered Europe,
North Africa and the Middle East. This article also encourages
scholars representing the other major religious traditions
to also chronicle their unique social welfare heritage.

Acculturative Stress and Social Support among Korean and Indian Immigrant Adolescents in the United StatesMadhavappallil Thomas and Jong Baek Choi
This study examined acculturative stress and its relationship
with social support among Korean and Indian
immigrant adolescents. The data were collected from 165
Korean and Indian adolescents using the Acculturation
Scale for Asian American Adolescents and Social Support
Scale. Findings show that respondents experience
low to moderate level of acculturative stress. Social support
activities reduce the level of acculturative stress.
Social support from parents is the most important predictive
factor in determining the level of acculturative
stress. These findings not only contribute to social work
education and practice but also increase cultural sensitivity
and awareness in working with these populations.